All across the globe, TEDx teams work with designers, architects and artists to create stunning stages that encapsulate the themes of their events, the spirit of their communities and serve as the platform for their speakers’ big ideas. Below, the stories of five outstanding TEDx stage designs:

TEDxBloomington

TEDxBloomington’s stage

To design the stage for all three of their TEDx events, the team at TEDxBloomington has worked with local artist Gail Hale. For the 2014 event, Hale worked with the TEDxBloomington team to create a stage populated with giant orbs crafted from papier-mâché and reclaimed materials, including “a stash of beach balls that had been discarded by a retailer at the end of the season, large borrowed exercise/yoga balls … [and] end-rolls from the Herald Times local newspaper, ” says TEDxBloomington organizer Luci McKean.

“[Hale] is committed to using recycled and scavenged/donated materials [and] creating objects in collaboration with other community members of all ages, from elders to elementary school children,” McKean says.

“An important resource for recycled materials has been the Monroe County Solid Waste District Materials for the Arts program,” says McKean. “[Hale] has a wish that all communities would collaborate with their solid waste departments to encourage more active reuse of good materials rather than everything going into landfills or being incinerated.”

After the event, Hale and the team donated the artful stage props to be used at several local events.

TEDxDiliman

TEDxDiliman’s stage

TEDxDiliman’s 2014 stage was designed by famed Filipino artist Leeroy New. New used wire and a staple of Filipino culture — rattan fans — to create a unique, eye-catching stage for the event. “By playing around with the lights, we were also able to give it more depth and different moods to suit the various talks and performances,” says event organizer Gigo Alampay.

Besides designing the stage, the 25-year-old artist spoke at the event about his work and his evolution as an artist.

TEDxLausanne

TEDxLausanne’s stage

TEDxLausanne’s 2014 stage was dressed to look like the Swiss Alps, a prominent feature of the city’s geography. Designed in collaboration with Lausanne design collectives Stick-earth and PBK9, the stage came together after much hard work and planning, including a Lego mock-up. Watch a video on the making of the stage here (in French).

TEDxHull

TEDxHull’s stage

TEDxHull’s stage design was the product of team members Lewis Jackson and Tom Watkins. Says Jackson, “The latest TEDxHull event was themed around Illusions. We wanted to create a visual illusion on stage that amazed the audience, looked great and wasn’t too big a distraction when the speakers were talking.”

Jackson worked with projection mapping expert Tom Watkins to create a set that would transform through the power of carefully-designed projections.”Together we designed the stage set-up and had some giant, 100% recyclable cubes produced for TEDxHull to throw the projection onto,” says Jackson. “Combined with the bespoke animations in the projection mapping, we made it look as though the stacked cubes were spinning on the spot, transforming before peoples eyes into different shapes and colors. Coupled with the red carpet on stage, it was the perfect solution and the audience loved it!”

TEDxVerona

TEDxVerona’s stage

For their 2015 event, the design team at TEDxVerona worked to create a stage design based on the six main theaters of the city of Verona. “The overall concept of the design started from our will to highlight the meaning of the TEDx event as a catalyst platform for innovation in the city of Verona,” says team member Leopoldo Tinazzi. “We decided to ‘bring’ the city inside the event location (a XVIII century palace), connecting spaces and activities with urban shapes and matching them with the 2015 theme: Beyond the Wall.”

The custom design was created as a 3D representation of the city and, after the event, was recycled to allow it to provide materials for something new in the community.

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Here’s the home page of TEDxJacksonville.com Gives you a good idea of the stage design by artist Shaun Thurston and engineer Mark McCombs, using large styrofoam blocks cut in the shape of crystals. They capture light and shadow beautifully.

About TEDx Innovations

TEDx Innovations is a blog celebrating creativity and innovation in TEDx communities around the globe. From design to tech to social activities, the TEDx Innovations blog highlights the best of the best worldwide.
To learn more about TEDx, visit www.ted.com/tedx